Gauge frame for elevator shaft entrance opening

ABSTRACT

A rectangular main frame has uprights resting upon and bolted to a shelf formed by a horizontal angle beam or corbel installed in the elevator shaft or hatchway below the floor level and at the intended location for the corridor entrance wall opening into the elevator shaft. Extending between the upper ends of the uprights is a top hanger head which subsequently supports the trackway for the corridor entrance door or doors. Also secured to the angle member is a corridor entrance sill support having secured thereto spaced parallel channel brackets projecting outward therefrom and containing pairs of keyhole slots in their vertically extending webs. A rectangular gauge frame having an inner opening substantially equal to the external dimensions of the finished entrance opening structure has side plates which at their lower ends carry headed bolts and studs adapted to fit into the keyhole slots. The gauge frame also has a top plate bolted to the main frame and having a width substantially equal to the intended thickness of the corridor wall. After the wall masonry has been completed up to the gauge frame, the finished entrance opening structure is slid into place with the heads of its bolts and studs inserted through the enlarged ends of the keyhole slots and their shanks then moved into the narrowed portions of the keyhole slots, whereupon the tightening of the bolts secures the finished entrance opening structure permanently but removably in position within the gauge frame.

United States Patent [191 Loomis June 26, 1973 Charles M. Loomls, Box 453, Arkansas City, Kans. 67005 [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1971 [21.] Appl. No.: 175,646

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl 52/205, 52/30, 52/217 [51] Int. Cl E06b 1/04, 1366b 13/08 [58] Field of Search 52/30, 204, 205-207, 52/210, 217; 49/504; 187/1 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,545,133 12/1970 Odenthal et al. 49/504 1,741,940 12/1929 Jacobson 187/1 R 1,831,031 11/1931 Pitcher 52/210 3,407,553 l0/l968 Halpem 52/217 3,342,288 9/1967 Vogel et al 187/1 R 3,269,068 8/1966 King 52/217 3,535,837 10/1970 Atkinson et a]. 52/217 1,770,267 7/1930 Gilroy 187/1 R 2,660,269 11/1953 Whitehouse et al.... 52/206 2,282,829 5/1942 Schunnan 52/206 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. Braun Att0rneyBarthel & Bugbee [57] ABSTRACT A rectangular main frame has uprights resting upon and bolted to a shelf formed by a horizontal angle beam or corbel installed in the elevator shaft or hatchway below the floor level and at the intended location for the corridor entrance wall opening into the elevator shaft. Extending between the upper ends of the uprights is a top hanger head which subsequently supports the trackway for the corridor entrance door or doors. Also secured to the angle member is a corridor entrance sill support having secured thereto spaced parallel channel brackets projecting outward therefrom and containing pairs of keyhole slots in their vertically extending webs. A rectangular gauge frame having an inner opening substantially equal to the external dimensions of the finished entrance opening structure has side plates which at their lower ends carry headed bolts and studs adaptedto fit into the keyhole slots. The gauge frame also has a top plate bolted to the main frame and having a width substantially equal to the intended thickness of the corridor wall. After the wall masonry has been completed up to the gauge frame, the finished entrance opening structure is slid into place with the heads of its bolts and studs inserted through the enlarged ends of the keyhole slots and their shanks then moved into the narrowed portions of the keyhole slots, whereupon the tightening of the bolts secures the finished entrance opening structure permanently but removably in position within the gauge frame.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures June 26, 1973 United States Patent [191 Loomis PAIENTEBJUNZG 1815 3. 740.907

SHEEI 3 [If 3 FIG?) 2 INVENTOR CHARLES M. LOOMIS ATTORNEYS GAUGE FRAME FOR ELEVATOR SHAFT ENTRANCE OPENING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hitherto, architects in their drawings of corridor walls adjacent elevator shafts of buildings have assigned dimensions to the rough opening into which the finished entrance opening structure or framework is subsequently installed. Frequently the corridor wall opening constructed by following these dimensions has left inadequate clearances between the edges of the opening and the finished entrance opening framework for the elevator installing workmen to insert their wrenches and other tools. This prior procedure also has consumed an excessive amount of time in custombuilding the elevator shaft and entrance openings thereto and requires constant vigilance on the part of the masons and foremen to insure that these rough openings are neither too large nor too small. Furthermore, the installation of the entrance framework into the rough opening has incurred damage to this finished framework by workmen passing through the entrance opening, such as by their wheelbarrows scraping the finished metal work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a preciselydimensioned gauge frame which predetermines the exact size for the finished entrance opening structure and when installed in the desired location for the elevator shaft opening enables the building contractors mason to build the corridor wall up to the gauge frame. This gauge frame remains permanently in position and provides an intermediate structure installed in the main frame mounted in the rough opening in the elevator shaft or hatchway wall into which the finished elevator entrance opening structure may be subsequently slid and bolted in permanent position. This main frame is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 124,127, filed Mar. 15,, 1971 for Door Frame, Sill and Facia Construction for Elevator Shaft Entrances, now U. S. Pat. No. 3,686,808, issued Sept. 29, 1972. This gauge frame thus enables the installation of the finished entrance opening structure to be deferred until after the building contractors masons and other workmen have completed their work, with the result of preventing damage to that entrance opening structure. This gauge frame makes it possible to control the dimensions of the corridor wall both as to the size of the opening into the elevator shaft and the thickness of the corridor frame, so as to guarantee a precise fit of the finished elevator entrance opening structure subsequently installed after the corridor wall has been completed.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gauge frame attached to a main frame installed at an elevator shaft entrance opening according to one form of the invention, with the locations of the outer and inner surfaces of the corridor wall indicated by dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 through the gauge frame of FIG. 1, as

' installed in a rough opening in an elevator shaft; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical section, on a slightly enlarged scale, taken along the lines 3-3 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows an entrance opening frame and gauge frame assembly,

generally designated 10, for installation in a rough entrance opening 12 of an elevator shaft or hatchway 14 having a building corridor wall 16 intended to ultimately possess a finished outer surface 18. The entrance opening 14 has a bottom surface 26 (FIG. 3) which is the upper surface of the concrete building floor 28. Secured to the vertical inner surface 30 of the building floor 28 is a horizontal sill-supporting angle member 32 having a vertical flange 34 and a horizontal flange 36 forming a shelf. The vertical flange 34 is secured to the inner surface 30 of the floor 28 while the horizontal flange 36 carries an upwardly facing channel-shaped sill support 38 which, as its name signifies,

in turn supports the entrance door sill 40. The sill 40 contains one or more door guide grooves 42.

Welded or otherwise suitably secured to the web of the sill support 38 is an inverted channel member 44 upon which the entrance sill 40 rests. The sill support 38 is adjustably mounted on the horizontal flange 36 of the angle member 32 by a pair of adjusting cap screws 46 mounted at each of the opposite ends of the sill support 38 and threaded through nuts 48 welded or otherwise fixedly secured in spaced parallel relationship in the web of the sill support 38. The inverted channel member 44 midway between the cap screws 46 of each pair is drilled for the passage of a bolt 50, the lower end of which passes through the corresponding drilled horizontal flange 36 of the angle member 32 and is locked in position by a nut 52 threaded on the lower end of each bolt 50. As a consequence, by loosening the nut 52 and rotating the cap screws 46 by means of a suitable wrench (not shown), the sill support 38 and consequently the sill 40 can be raised or lowered as desired.

Secured at right angles to the sill support 38 in laterally spaced parallel relationship are the downwardly bent inner arms 62 (FIG. 3) of the horizontal flanges 66 of two channel elbow brackets 64. The horizontal outer arms 66 of the elbow brackets 64 are bolted as at 68 to the concrete corridor floor 28. The vertical flanges 70 of the outer arms 66 of the channel elbow brackets 64 are provided with pairs of horizontally spaced keyhole slots 72 (FIG. 3), each of which has a narrow portion 74 extending horizontally inward from an enlargement 76.

Rising from the outer ends of the horizontal outer arms 66 of the channel elbow brackets 64 are angle coupling members 78 secured thereto by the bolts 68. Bolted as at 80 to the vertical upper arms of the angle coupling members 78 are the vertical side plates or uprights 82 of a rectangular gauge frame 84 (FIG. 1) the upper ends of which are interconnected by a top bar 86 and also by a flanged top plate 88. Each side plate 82 (FIG. 2) has horizontally offset rearward and forward portions 81 and 83 whereas the top plate 88 has vertically offset rearward and forward portions 87 and 89 respectively. The top plate 88 at its inner end terminates in a downwardly projecting flange 90 which is bolted as at 92 (FIG. 3) to the lower portion of a hanger head 94 the opposite ends of which are welded or otherwise secured to the upper ends of angle uprights or struts 96 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The lower ends of the struts 96 rest upon and are bolted or otherwise secured to the angle beam 32 or to the similarly located poured-concrete corbel (not shown) constituting with the sill support 38 the horizontal base structure. The hanger head 94, angle struts 96 and angle beam 32 (FIG. 1) or corbel (if substituted therefor) and sill support 38 constitute a main rectangular frame, generally designated 98, to which the gauge frame 84 is bolted by its top plate 88 and by the angle brackets 64.

The entrance sill groove 42 slidably receives nylon plastic guide pins or gibs 100 projecting downward from the elevator shaft entrance doors 102. Secured to the upper edges of the doors 102 are approximately C- shaped or reversely bent brackets 104 in which are mounted axles 106. The axles 106 rotatably support grooved wheels or sheaves 108 which roll to and fro along a door-supporting track 110 supported on arms 112 which are in turn secured to the hanger head 94. In the above manner the present invention provides a finished entrance opening 114 between the side plates or uprights 82 and top plate 88 of the gauge frame 84 for receiving the finished elevator entrance framework or structure (not shown) to be installed therein after the building wall construction has been completed.

Before the installation of the gauge frame 84 the sillsupporting angle beam 32 or poured-concrete corbel has already been installed in the elevator shaft or hatchway 12 and bolted to or poured integrally with the inner face 30 of the floor 28, as the case may be. The angle struts 96 and hanger head 94 of the main frame 98 are then erected at the location where the corridor entrance opening 14 is to be situated in the not-yetconstructed building corridor wall 16. The sill support 38 and the channel brackets 64 secured thereto are now caused to rest upon and be secured to the upper flange 36 of the angle beam 32 or poured-concrete corbel, if used. The channel brackets 64 are then bolted to the floor 28 and the hanger head 98 bolted or otherwise secured to the vertical inner face 30 of the floor 28 above the floor 28 on which the elevator shaft entrance opening is being installed. The elevator shaft walls 22 and corridor walls 16 are then erected by the masons and brought up to the vertical side plates or uprights 82 and their lintel portions extended down to the top plate 88 of the gauge frame 84 while the shaft walls 22 are terminated adjacent the ends of the sill supports 28 and angle members 32. Construction then goes on until the masonry and other rough work has been completed.

The finished entrance doorway structure (not shown) is now ready to be installed in the opening 114, and is brought into alignment with the inner edges of the vertical side members 82 and slid inward until the heads of its bolts and studs (not shown) arrive opposite the enlargements 76 of the keyhole slots 72 in the channel brackets 64 whereupon these heads are pushed through the enlargements 76. The entire finished entrance opening structure is then pushed inward bodily until the shanks of it's bolts and studs arrive at the inner ends of the narrow portions 74 of the keyhole slots 72. The workmen then tighten these bolts and the finished entrance opening structure is thus installed in its final position, without the danger of damage to it by accidents which might otherwise have previously occurred had it been installed earlier without the use of the gauge frame 84.

I claim:

1. An entrance frame adapted to be secured to a building floor adjacent the entrance opening of an elevator shaft having a shelf disposed therein below the floor and adapted externally for precisely locating an adjacent building corridor wall and adapted internally for slidably and telescopingly receiving a finished corridor entrance opening structure, said frame comprising an elongated horizontal sill supporting structure adapted to be mounted upon the shelf in the elevator shaft adjacent the entrance opening thereof,

spaced parallel vertical struts adapted to be mounted on the shelf and extending upward therefrom,

a horizontal hanger head extending between and secured to the upper portions of said uprights above the shaft entrance opening,

a generally horizontal top plate adapted to be secured to the corridor side of said hanger head, laterally spaced parallel side plates secured at their upper ends to said top plate,

and means for connecting the lower ends of said side plates to said sill supporting structure.

2. An entrance frame, according to claim 1, wherein said top plate has a substantially horizontal rearward portion adapted to be secured to said hanger head and also has a substantially horizontal forward portion offset downward from said rearward portion.

3. An entrance frame, according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes substantially horizontal laterally-spaced bracket members extending between said sill supporting structure and said lower ends of said side plates, said lower ends of said uprights being secured to said bracket members.

4. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said bracket members have vertical side walls with keyhole slots therein adapted to receive headed fasteners projecting laterally outward from the finished corridor entrance structure.

5. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said side plates extend only partway along said bracket members toward said sill supporting structure.

6. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said side plates have rearward portions secured to said bracket members and forward portions offset laterally inward away from said rearward portions. 

1. An entrance frame adapted to be secured to a building floor adjacent the entrance opening of an elevator shaft having a shelf disposed therein below the floor and adapted externally for precisely locating an adjacent building corridor wall and adapted internally for slidably and telescopingly receiving a finished corridor entrance opening structure, said frame comprising an elongated horizontal sill supporting structure adapted to be mounted upon the shelf in the elevator shaft adjacent the entrance opening thereof, spaced parallel vertical struts adapted to be mounted on the shelf and extending upward therefrom, a horizontal hanger head extending between and secured to the upper portions of said uprights above the shaft entrance opening, a generally horizontal top plate adapted to be secured to the corridor side of said hanger head, laterally spaced parallel side plates secured at their upper ends to said top plate, and means for connecting the lower ends of said side plates to said sill supporting structure.
 2. An entrance frame, according to claim 1, wherein said top plate has a substantially horizontal rearward portion adapted to be secured to said hanger head and also has a substantially horizontal forward portion offset downward from said rearward portion.
 3. An entrance frame, according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes substantially horizontal laterally-spaced bracket members extending between said sill supporting structure and said lower ends of said side plates, said lower ends of said uprights being secured to said bracket members.
 4. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said bracket members have vertical side walls with keyhole slots therein adapted to receive headed fasteners projecting laterally outward from the finished corridor entrance structure.
 5. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said side plates extend only partway along said bracket members toward said sill supporting structure.
 6. An entrance frame, according to claim 2, wherein said side plates have rearward portions secured to said bracket members and forward portions offset laterally inward away from said rearward portions. 